WO2019171528A1 - Drive assistance device and drive assistance method - Google Patents

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a drive assistance device and a drive assistance method capable of performing an appropriate drive assistance for a driver at a time of merging or changing lanes. A drive assistance device according to the present invention is provided with: an own vehicle information acquisition unit for acquiring own vehicle information including a current position and speed of an own vehicle; a different vehicle information acquisition unit for acquiring different vehicle information including a current position and speed of a different vehicle; an object generation unit for generating, at a time when the own vehicle merges from a lane on which the own vehicle is running into a lane on which the different vehicle is running or changes the lanes, a running position object which indicates at least one of a position where the own vehicle should run currently and a position where the own vehicle should not run currently on the basis of the own vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit and the different vehicle information acquired by the different vehicle information acquisition unit; and a display control unit for performing control to display the running position object generated by the object generation unit with the running position object superposed on a surrounding scene of the own vehicle in accordance with traveling of the own vehicle.

Description

Driving support device and driving support method

The present invention relates to a driving support apparatus and a driving support method for providing driving support to a driver of a host vehicle when the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling joins or changes to a lane in which another vehicle is traveling.

When the vehicle joins a highway or other vehicle while driving, or changes to an adjacent lane, the driver of the host vehicle may be in the lane of the merging destination road or the lane of the lane changing destination You need to be careful.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique has been disclosed in which a merging portion for merging a host vehicle with a traveling lane of another vehicle is specified, and a position on a road surface to be steered for merging the own vehicle with the merging portion is presented to the driver. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). Moreover, the technique which shows the passenger | crew of the own vehicle the time until it reaches a junction and a junction is disclosed (for example, refer patent document 2).

JP 2008-151507 A JP 2017-102739 A

When joining or changing lanes of the own vehicle, it is useful for the driver to know which position the own vehicle is currently traveling on so that the vehicle can smoothly join or change lanes. On the other hand, Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not mention which position the host vehicle is currently traveling at so that the vehicle can smoothly join at the junction. Therefore, there is room for improvement in driving support for the driver when joining or changing lanes.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and provides a driving support device and a driving support method capable of providing appropriate driving support to the driver when joining or changing lanes. The purpose is to do.

In order to solve the above problems, a driving support device according to the present invention includes a host vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires host vehicle information including the current position and speed of the host vehicle, and another vehicle including the current position and speed of the other vehicle. The other vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires information and the own vehicle acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit when the own vehicle merges or changes lanes from the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling to the lane in which the other vehicle is traveling. Object generation that generates a travel position object indicating at least one of a position where the host vehicle should currently travel and a position where current vehicle should not travel based on the vehicle information and other vehicle information acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit And a display control unit that performs control to superimpose and display the traveling position object generated by the object generation unit on the scenery around the host vehicle as the host vehicle travels.

Further, the driving support method according to the present invention acquires own vehicle information including the current position and speed of the own vehicle, acquires other vehicle information including the current position and speed of the other vehicle, and the own vehicle When joining or changing lanes from another lane to another lane where the other vehicle is traveling, the current position and current position of the host vehicle should be based on the acquired own vehicle information and the acquired other vehicle information. A travel position object indicating at least one of the positions that should not be generated is generated, and the generated travel position object is displayed superimposed on the scenery around the host vehicle according to the progress of the host vehicle.

According to the present invention, the driving support device includes a host vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires host vehicle information including the current position and speed of the host vehicle, and other vehicle information that acquires other vehicle information including the current position and speed of the other vehicle. The acquisition unit and the own vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit and the other vehicle information when the own vehicle joins or changes the lane from the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling to the lane in which the other vehicle is traveling Based on the other vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit, an object generation unit that generates a travel position object indicating at least one of a position where the host vehicle should currently travel and a position where the vehicle should not travel, and an object generation unit Since the generated travel position object is provided with a display control unit that performs control to superimpose and display the generated travel position object on the scenery around the host vehicle, the merging or lane change is performed. Can it is possible to perform an appropriate driving support for the driver.

Further, the driving support method acquires own vehicle information including the current position and speed of the own vehicle, acquires other vehicle information including the current position and speed of the other vehicle, and the own vehicle travels with the own vehicle. When merging or changing lanes from another lane to another lane in which another vehicle is traveling, based on the acquired own vehicle information and the acquired other vehicle information, the current position where the own vehicle should travel and should not travel now The driver generates a travel position object indicating at least one of the positions, and displays the generated travel position object superimposed on the scenery around the host vehicle according to the progress of the host vehicle. It is possible to provide appropriate driving support for the vehicle.

The objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the driving assistance device by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example before the merge by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example after the confluence | merging by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the driving assistance device by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the driving assistance device by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the driving assistance apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the driving assistance apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the driving assistance apparatus by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of operation | movement of the driving assistance apparatus by Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of operation | movement of the driving assistance apparatus by Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the driving assistance by Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the driving assistance system by embodiment of this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
<Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a driving support apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows the minimum necessary configuration for configuring the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment. The driving assistance apparatus 1 shall be installed in the own vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 1, the driving support device 1 includes a host vehicle information acquisition unit 2, an other vehicle information acquisition unit 3, an object generation unit 4, and a display control unit 5. The own vehicle information acquisition unit 2 acquires own vehicle information including the current position and speed of the own vehicle. The other vehicle information acquisition unit 3 acquires other vehicle information including the current position and speed of the other vehicle. The object generation unit 4 includes the own vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit 2 when the own vehicle joins or changes the lane from the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling to the lane in which the other vehicle is traveling, Based on the other vehicle information acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit 3, a travel position object indicating at least one of a position where the host vehicle should currently travel and a position where the current vehicle should not travel is generated. The display control unit 5 performs control to display the travel position object generated by the object generation unit 4 so as to be superimposed on the scenery around the host vehicle as the host vehicle travels.

Here, we will explain about merging and lane changes.

2 and 3, for example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the host vehicle 6 moves from the lane in which the host vehicle 6 is traveling to the lane in which the other vehicles 7 to 9 are traveling. In the example of FIGS. 2 and 3, the own vehicle 6 is a lane in which the other vehicles 7 to 9 are traveling from the ramp and merges between the other vehicle 8 and the other vehicle 9. The lane change means that the host vehicle moves from the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling to an adjacent lane.

Next, another configuration of the driving support device including the driving support device 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the driving support apparatus 10 according to another configuration.

As shown in FIG. 4, the driving support device 10 includes a host vehicle information acquisition unit 2, another vehicle information acquisition unit 3, an object generation unit 4, a display control unit 5, a map information acquisition unit 13, and overall control. Part 14. The other vehicle information acquisition unit 3 and the overall control unit 14 are connected to the imaging device 15, the map information acquisition unit 13 is connected to the map information storage device 16, and the display control unit 5 is connected to the display device 17.

The own vehicle information acquisition unit 2 acquires own vehicle information including the current position and speed of the own vehicle. The current position of the host vehicle is, for example, the absolute position of the host vehicle included in a GPS (Global Positioning System) signal. Note that a more accurate current position of the host vehicle may be obtained based on the absolute position of the host vehicle included in the GPS signal, the speed, the moving distance, the steering direction, and the like of the host vehicle. In this case, the information on the moving distance and the steering direction of the host vehicle is included in the host vehicle information acquired by the host vehicle information acquiring unit 2.

The other vehicle information acquisition unit 3 includes an other vehicle position calculation unit 11 and an other vehicle speed calculation unit 12. The other vehicle position calculation unit 11 acquires an image captured by the imaging device 15 and performs image processing on the image to calculate a relative position of the other vehicle with respect to the host vehicle. The other vehicle speed calculation unit 12 acquires an image captured by the image capturing device 15 and calculates the relative speed of the other vehicle with respect to the host vehicle by performing image processing on the image. The photographing device 15 is installed in the own vehicle and photographs the vicinity of the own vehicle. Specifically, the imaging device 15 captures an image so that a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling and a lane in which the host vehicle joins or changes lanes are included in the image.

In the example of FIG. 4, the case where the relative position and speed of another vehicle are calculated by performing image processing on the image captured by the image capturing device 15 is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Other vehicle information acquisition part 3 may acquire the information on the absolute position of other vehicles, and the speed information on other vehicles from the other vehicles concerned. In this case, the other vehicle position calculation unit 11 and the other vehicle speed calculation unit 12 are not necessary.

The map information acquisition unit 13 acquires map information including at least lane information from the map information storage device 16 based on the current position of the host vehicle acquired by the host vehicle information acquisition unit 2. The lane information includes lane marking information. The map information storage device 16 is composed of a storage device such as a hard disk (HDD) or a semiconductor memory, and stores map information including at least lane information. The map information storage device 16 may be installed inside the host vehicle or may be installed outside the host vehicle. The map information storage device 16 may be included in the driving support device 10.

Based on the current position and speed of the own vehicle acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit 2 and the current position and speed of the other vehicle acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit 3, the overall control unit 14 A point where the lane can be changed is calculated. The point where the host vehicle can join or change lanes can be calculated using a known technique such as Patent Document 1, for example. Further, the overall control unit 14 calculates at least one of a position where the vehicle should travel and a position where the vehicle should not currently travel in order to reach a point where the host vehicle can join or change lanes. Further, the overall control unit 14 can detect the lane markings constituting the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling by performing image processing on the image captured by the imaging device 15.

The object generation unit 4 generates a travel position object indicating at least one of a position where the host vehicle calculated by the overall control unit 14 should currently travel and a position where current travel should not be performed. At this time, the object generation unit 4 determines the shape of the travel position object based on the image captured by the imaging device 15.

The display control unit 5 performs control to display the travel position object generated by the object generation unit 4 on the display device 17 so as to be superimposed on the scenery around the host vehicle as the host vehicle travels. The display device 17 is, for example, a HUD (Head Up Display), a monitor provided in the instrument panel, or a monitor provided in the center console. For example, when the display device 17 is a HUD, the display control unit 5 performs control to superimpose and display the travel position object on the actual scenery that can be seen through the windshield. When the display device 17 is a monitor, the display control unit 5 performs control to superimpose and display the traveling position object on the image captured by the imaging device 15.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the driving support device 10. The same applies to the driving support device 1 shown in FIG.

The host vehicle information acquisition unit 2, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 3, the object generation unit 4, the display control unit 5, the other vehicle position calculation unit 11, the other vehicle speed calculation unit 12, the map information acquisition unit 13, and the driving support device 10 Each function of the overall control unit 14 is realized by a processing circuit. That is, the driving assistance device 10 acquires own vehicle information, acquires other vehicle information, generates an object, performs control to display the object, calculates the position of the other vehicle, and calculates the speed of the other vehicle. , Obtain map information, calculate a point where the host vehicle can join or change lanes, calculate at least one of a position where the host vehicle should currently travel and a position where the host vehicle should not travel, Is provided with a processing circuit. The processing circuit is a processor 18 (also referred to as a central processing unit, a processing unit, an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) that executes a program stored in the memory 19.

The host vehicle information acquisition unit 2, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 3, the object generation unit 4, the display control unit 5, the other vehicle position calculation unit 11, the other vehicle speed calculation unit 12, the map information acquisition unit 13, and the driving support device 10 Each function of the overall control unit 14 is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. Software or firmware is described as a program and stored in the memory 19. The processing circuit reads out and executes the program stored in the memory 19, thereby realizing the function of each unit. That is, the driving support device 10 includes a step of acquiring own vehicle information, a step of acquiring other vehicle information, a step of generating an object, a step of performing control to display the object, a step of calculating the position of the other vehicle, A step of calculating a speed of the vehicle, a step of acquiring map information, a step of calculating a point where the host vehicle can join or change lanes, a position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and a position where the host vehicle should not travel A memory 19 is provided for storing a program in which at least one of the step of calculating and the step of detecting the lane marking is executed. These programs include the own vehicle information acquisition unit 2, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 3, the object generation unit 4, the display control unit 5, the other vehicle position calculation unit 11, the other vehicle speed calculation unit 12, and the map information acquisition unit 13. It can also be said that the computer executes the procedure or method of the overall control unit 14. Here, the memory is non-volatile or volatile such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), etc. May be any semiconductor memory, magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini disk, DVD, or any other storage medium used in the future.

<Operation>
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving support apparatus 1 shown in FIG.

In step S101, the host vehicle information acquisition unit 2 acquires host vehicle information including the current position and speed of the host vehicle.

In step S102, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 3 acquires other vehicle information including the current position and speed of the other vehicle.

In step S <b> 103, when the own vehicle joins or changes lanes from the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling to the lane in which another vehicle is traveling, the object generation unit 4 acquires the own vehicle information acquired by the own vehicle information acquisition unit 2. Based on the vehicle information and the other vehicle information acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition unit 3, a travel position object indicating at least one of a position where the host vehicle should currently travel and a position where the current vehicle should not travel is generated.

In step S104, the display control unit 5 performs control to display the travel position object generated by the object generation unit 4 so as to be superimposed on the scenery around the host vehicle as the host vehicle travels.

In step S105, the display control unit 5 determines whether or not to end the display of the travel position object. If the display of the travel position object is to be terminated, the process is terminated. On the other hand, if the display of the travel position object is not terminated, the process returns to step S101.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving support apparatus 10 shown in FIG.

In step S201, the host vehicle information acquisition unit 2 acquires host vehicle information including the current position and speed of the host vehicle.

In step S202, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 3 and the overall control unit 14 acquire an image of the vicinity of the host vehicle captured by the imaging device 15. The image around the host vehicle includes a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling and a lane in which the host vehicle joins or changes lanes.

In step S <b> 203, the other vehicle position calculation unit 11 calculates the relative position of the other vehicle with respect to the host vehicle by performing image processing on the image acquired from the imaging device 15. The other vehicle speed calculation unit 12 calculates the relative speed of the other vehicle with respect to the host vehicle by performing image processing on the image acquired from the imaging device 15.

In step S <b> 204, the overall control unit 14 performs image processing on the image acquired from the imaging device 15, and determines whether or not a lane marking that forms a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling has been detected. If no lane marking is detected, the process proceeds to step S205. On the other hand, if a lane marking is detected, the process proceeds to step S206.

In step S205, the map information acquisition unit 13 acquires map information including lane information from the map information storage device 16 based on the position of the host vehicle in accordance with an instruction from the overall control unit 14.

In step S206, the map information acquisition unit 13 acquires map information including lane information from the map information storage device 16 based on the position of the host vehicle in accordance with an instruction from the overall control unit 14. In this case, the lane lines that constitute the lane in which the host vehicle travels are the lane lines detected by the overall control unit 14 from the image acquired from the imaging device 15 and the lane lines included in the lane information acquired from the map information storage device 16. Therefore, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the lane markings. Note that the processing in step S206 may not be performed.

In step S207, the object generation unit 4 generates a travel position object indicating at least one of the position where the own vehicle calculated by the overall control unit 14 should currently travel and the position where current travel should not be performed. At this time, the object generation unit 4 determines the shape of the travel position object based on the image captured by the imaging device 15.

In step S208, the display control unit 5 performs control to display the traveling position object generated by the object generation unit 4 on the display device 17 so as to be superimposed on the scenery around the host vehicle according to the progress of the host vehicle.

In step S209, the overall control unit 14 determines whether or not to end the display of the travel position object. If the display of the travel position object is to be terminated, the process is terminated. On the other hand, if the display of the travel position object is not terminated, the process returns to step S201.

<Display>
FIGS. 8 to 26 are diagrams showing an example of driving assistance display, showing an example of the display of the travel position object. 8 to 26 show the case where the host vehicle merges from the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling to the lane in which the other vehicle 21 is traveling, the same applies when the lane is changed. The display device 17 in FIGS. 8 to 26 is a HUD.

As shown in FIG. 8, the display device 17 superimposes and displays the traveling position object 20 on the left lane marking among the lane markings constituting the lane in which the host vehicle travels. In the travel position object 20, the area where sand hatching is performed indicates a position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the area where hatched hatching is performed indicates a position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. That is, the position where the host vehicle should currently travel and the position where the host vehicle should not travel are displayed separately. As shown in FIG. 8, the position where the host vehicle should currently travel is located slightly ahead of the current position of the host vehicle. As a result, the driver can determine that the host vehicle needs to be accelerated a little more. In FIG. 8, the travel position object 20 is superimposed on the lane line on the left side of the host vehicle, but the travel position object 20 is superimposed on the lane line on the right side of the host vehicle, that is, on the lane line in the joining direction. May be.

FIG. 9 shows that the current position of the host vehicle is the current position of the host vehicle. Other displays are the same as those in FIG. In this case, the driver can determine that it is only necessary to drive the host vehicle at this speed.

As shown in FIG. 10, the display device 17 displays a travel position object 20 superimposed on the lane in which the host vehicle travels. The travel position object 20 extends from the current position of the host vehicle to a point where the host vehicle can join. In the travel position object 20, the area where sand hatching is performed indicates a position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the area where hatched hatching is performed indicates a position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. As shown in FIG. 10, the position at which the host vehicle should currently travel is located slightly ahead of the current position of the host vehicle. As a result, the driver can determine that the host vehicle needs to be accelerated a little more.

FIG. 11 shows that the current position of the host vehicle is the current position of the host vehicle. Other displays are the same as those in FIG. In this case, the driver can determine that it is only necessary to drive the host vehicle at this speed.

As shown in FIG. 12, the display device 17 displays a traveling position object 20 superimposed on the entire lane in which the host vehicle travels. In the travel position object 20, the area where sand hatching is performed indicates a position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the area where hatched hatching is performed indicates a position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. As shown in FIG. 12, the position where the host vehicle should currently travel is located slightly ahead of the current position of the host vehicle. As a result, the driver can determine that the host vehicle needs to be accelerated a little more.

FIG. 13 shows that the current position of the host vehicle is the current position of the host vehicle. Other displays are the same as those in FIG. In this case, the driver can determine that it is only necessary to drive the host vehicle at this speed.

As shown in FIG. 14, the display device 17 displays a travel position object 20 superimposed on the entire lane in which the host vehicle travels. The travel position object 20 indicates only the position where the host vehicle to which the sand hatching has been applied should currently travel. As shown in FIG. 14, the position where the host vehicle should currently travel is located slightly ahead of the current position of the host vehicle. As a result, the driver can determine that the host vehicle needs to be accelerated a little more.

FIG. 15 shows that the current position of the host vehicle is the current position of the host vehicle. Other displays are the same as in FIG. In this case, the driver can determine that it is only necessary to drive the host vehicle at this speed.

As shown in FIG. 16, the display device 17 displays an acceleration / deceleration object 22 superimposed on a lane in which the host vehicle travels. The acceleration / deceleration object 22 is an object that indicates by characters or symbols that the host vehicle should be accelerated or decelerated at present. In FIG. 16, the acceleration / deceleration object 22 has a tip of an arrow indicating a position where the host vehicle should currently travel. Further, the acceleration / deceleration object 22 may blink. As shown in FIG. 16, the position where the host vehicle should currently travel is located slightly ahead of the current position of the host vehicle. As a result, the driver can determine that the host vehicle needs to be accelerated a little more.

As shown in FIG. 17, the display device 17 displays a travel position object 20 shown in FIG. 8 and an acceleration / deceleration object 22 shown in FIG. The position at which the host vehicle should currently travel in the travel position object 20 and the position of the tip of the arrow of the acceleration / deceleration object 22 coincide with each other in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. As a result, the driver can determine that the host vehicle needs to be accelerated a little more.

As shown in FIG. 18, the display device 17 displays the traveling position object 20 shown in FIG. 9 and the acceleration / deceleration object 22 indicated by the characters “OK”. Thus, the driver can determine that the host vehicle should be driven at this speed.

As shown in FIG. 19, the display device 17 displays a travel position object 20 shown in FIG. 10 and an acceleration / deceleration object 22 shown in FIG. The position at which the host vehicle should currently travel in the travel position object 20 and the position of the tip of the arrow of the acceleration / deceleration object 22 coincide with each other in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. As a result, the driver can determine that the host vehicle needs to be accelerated a little more.

As shown in FIG. 20, the display device 17 displays the traveling position object 20 shown in FIG. 11 and the acceleration / deceleration object 22 indicated by the characters “OK”. Thus, the driver can determine that the host vehicle should be driven at this speed.

As shown in FIG. 21, the display device 17 superimposes the travel position object 20 on the left lane marking among the lane markings constituting the lane in which the host vehicle travels, and is indicated by the characters “+10 Km / m”. The acceleration / deceleration object 22 is displayed. In the travel position object 20, the area where sand hatching is performed indicates a position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the area where hatched hatching is performed indicates a position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. The position where the host vehicle should currently travel is located ahead of the position where the host vehicle shown in FIG. As a result, the driver can determine that the host vehicle needs to be accelerated until it becomes 10 km / h faster than the current speed.

As shown in FIG. 22, the display device 17 displays the traveling position object 20 shown in FIG. 8 and the acceleration / deceleration object 22 indicated by the characters “+5 Km / m”. Accordingly, the driver can determine that the host vehicle needs to be accelerated until it becomes 5 km / h faster than the current speed.

As shown in FIG. 23, the display device 17 displays the traveling position object 20 shown in FIG. 9 and the acceleration / deceleration object 22 indicated by the characters “OK”. Thus, the driver can determine that the host vehicle should be driven at this speed.

As shown in FIG. 24, the display device 17 superimposes the traveling position object 20 on the entire lane in which the host vehicle travels, and displays the acceleration / deceleration object 22 indicated by the characters “+10 Km / m”. . In the travel position object 20, the area where sand hatching is performed indicates a position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the area where hatched hatching is performed indicates a position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. The position where the host vehicle should currently travel is located ahead of the current position of the host vehicle shown in FIG. As a result, the driver can determine that the host vehicle needs to be accelerated until it becomes 10 km / h faster than the current speed.

25, the display device 17 displays the traveling position object 20 shown in FIG. 12 and the acceleration / deceleration object 22 indicated by the characters “+5 Km / m”. Accordingly, the driver can determine that the host vehicle needs to be accelerated until it becomes 5 km / h faster than the current speed.

As shown in FIG. 26, the display device 17 displays the travel position object 20 shown in FIG. 13 and the acceleration / deceleration object 22 indicated by the characters “OK”. Thus, the driver can determine that the host vehicle should be driven at this speed.

From the above, according to the first embodiment, the position at which the host vehicle should currently travel is displayed on the display device 17 when joining or changing lanes. Accordingly, it is possible to provide appropriate driving assistance to the driver when joining or changing lanes.

<Embodiment 2>
Since the configuration of the driving support apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as that of the driving support apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving support apparatus according to the second embodiment. Note that steps S301 to S306 in FIG. 27 correspond to steps S201 to S206 in FIG. 7, and thus description thereof is omitted here. Hereinafter, steps S307 to S310 will be described.

In step S307, the object generation unit 4 generates a travel position object indicating a route from the current position of the host vehicle to a point where the host vehicle calculated by the overall control unit 14 can join.

In step S308, the object generation unit 4 generates a confluence prediction object. Specifically, the overall control unit 14 calculates the position of the own vehicle and the position of the other vehicle when the host vehicle travels to a point where the current vehicle joins at the current speed. The object generation unit 4 includes a virtual own vehicle that is a virtual own vehicle, a virtual other vehicle, and the like in each of the position of the own vehicle and the position of another vehicle when the host vehicle travels to a point where the current vehicle joins at the current speed. An object indicating a virtual other vehicle that is a vehicle is generated. An object indicating the objects of the virtual host vehicle and the virtual other vehicle corresponds to a confluence prediction object.

In step S309, the display control unit 5 displays the traveling position object generated by the object generation unit 4 in step S307 and the predicted confluence object generated by the object generation unit 4 in step S308 as the surroundings of the host vehicle according to the progress of the host vehicle. Is displayed on the display device 17 in a superimposed manner.

In step S310, the overall control unit 14 determines whether or not to end the display of the traveling position object and the expected joining object. When the display of the traveling position object and the expected joining object is to be ended, the processing is ended. On the other hand, when the display of the traveling position object and the expected joining object is not ended, the process returns to step S301.

28 and 29 are diagrams showing an example of the display of driving assistance, and show an example of the display of the travel position object and the confluence prediction object. 28 and 29 show the case where the host vehicle merges from the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling to the lane in which the other vehicle is traveling, the same applies when the lane is changed. The display device 17 in FIGS. 28 and 29 is a HUD.

As shown in FIG. 28, the display device 17 displays a travel position object 25 that indicates a route from the current position of the host vehicle to a point where the host vehicle can be merged, calculated by the overall control unit 14. Yes. In the travel position object 25, the area where the sand hatching is performed indicates a position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the area where the hatched hatching is performed indicates a position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. In addition, the display device 17 displays the virtual host vehicle 23 and the virtual other vehicle 24 at each of the position of the host vehicle and the position of the other vehicle when the host vehicle travels to a point where the current vehicle joins at the current speed. Thus, the driver can determine that the vehicle does not come into contact with other vehicles at the time of merging if the host vehicle is driven at this speed.

As shown in FIG. 29, the display device 17 displays a travel position object 25 that indicates a route from the current position of the host vehicle to a point where the host vehicle can be calculated, calculated by the overall control unit 14. Yes. In the travel position object 25, the area where the sand hatching is performed indicates a position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the area where the hatched hatching is performed indicates a position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. In addition, the display device 17 displays the virtual host vehicle 23 and the virtual other vehicle 24 at each of the position of the host vehicle and the position of the other vehicle when the host vehicle travels to a point where the current vehicle joins at the current speed. The virtual host vehicle 23 and the virtual other vehicle 24 are in contact with each other. At this time, the virtual host vehicle 23 and the virtual other vehicle 24 may be emphasized. Accordingly, the driver can determine that the host vehicle needs to be accelerated or decelerated because it contacts the other vehicle at the time of merging if driving at the speed as it is.

From the above, according to the second embodiment, the position of the host vehicle when the host vehicle travels to the point where the host vehicle joins at the current speed together with the position where the host vehicle should currently travel when merging or changing lanes. And the virtual own vehicle 23 and the virtual other vehicle 24 are displayed at each of the positions of the other vehicles. Accordingly, it is possible to provide appropriate driving assistance to the driver when joining or changing lanes.

<Embodiment 3>
Since the configuration of the driving support apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention is the same as that of the driving support apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of driving assistance, and illustrates an example of a display of a travel position object. FIG. 30 shows the case where the host vehicle merges from the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling to the lane in which the other vehicle is traveling, but the same applies to the case where the lane is changed. Further, the display device 17 in FIG. 30 is a HUD.

As shown in FIG. 30, there are two points before and after the other vehicle 26 where the own vehicle calculated by the overall control unit 14 can join. The display device 17 displays travel position objects 27 and 28 indicating routes from the current position of the host vehicle to each point where the host vehicle calculated by the overall control unit 14 can join. Of the travel position objects 27 and 28, the sand hatched area indicates the position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the hatched area indicates the position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. Yes. Thus, the driver can determine that the host vehicle needs to be accelerated when joining in front of the other vehicle 26. In addition, when the driver joins behind the other vehicle 26, the driver can determine that the host vehicle should be driven at this speed.

FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of driving assistance, and illustrates an example of a display of a travel position object. Although FIG. 31 shows the case where the host vehicle merges from the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling to the lane in which the other vehicle is traveling, the same applies when the lane is changed. Further, the display device 17 in FIG. 31 is a HUD.

As shown in FIG. 31, there are two points where the own vehicle calculated by the overall control unit 14 can join in front of the other vehicle 30 and between the other vehicles 30 and 31. . The display device 17 displays travel position objects 32 and 33 indicating routes from the current position of the host vehicle to each point where the host vehicle calculated by the overall control unit 14 can join. Of the running position objects 32 and 33, the sand hatched area indicates the position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the hatched area indicates the position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. Yes. In FIG. 31, since the other vehicle 29 exists on the route indicated by the travel position object 32, the own vehicle cannot join the other vehicle 30. Therefore, when the driver sees the traveling position object 32 and joins in front of the other vehicle 30 or between the other vehicles 30, 31, the driver can determine that the host vehicle should be driven at this speed.

In FIG. 31, when the lanes to be merged or changed lanes are congested, the travel position objects 32 and 33 may be hidden. In addition, the traveling position object 32 may be translucent or blinking, or may not be displayed, on a part overlapping the other vehicle 29 existing in the same lane as the host vehicle or in front of it.

From the above, according to the third embodiment, when there are a plurality of points where the host vehicle can join, a traveling position object is displayed for each point. Accordingly, it is possible to provide appropriate driving assistance to the driver when joining or changing lanes.

<Embodiment 4>
In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, a case where the display device 17 is an electronic mirror that displays the rear of the host vehicle will be described. Since the configuration of the driving support apparatus according to the fourth embodiment is the same as that of the driving support apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

FIG. 32 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the driving support apparatus according to the fourth embodiment.

32, the host vehicle 34 is about to join between the other vehicle 35 and the other vehicle 36. FIG. 32 shows the case where the own vehicle joins, but the same applies to the case where the lane is changed.

FIG. 33 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of driving assistance, and illustrates an example of a display of a travel position object. In the left diagram of FIG. 33, the display device 17 that is an electronic mirror displays the left rear of the host vehicle 34. In the right view of FIG. 33, the display device 17 that is an electronic mirror displays the right rear of the host vehicle 34.

33, the display device 17 displays a travel position object 37 indicating the position where the host vehicle should currently travel on the lane behind the host vehicle 34. In the running position object 37, the area where the sand hatching is performed indicates a position where the host vehicle should currently travel, and the area where the hatched hatching is performed indicates a position where the host vehicle should not currently travel. Thus, the driver can determine that the host vehicle 34 needs to be decelerated when joining between the other vehicle 35 and the other vehicle 36.

From the above, according to the fourth embodiment, the traveling position object is displayed on the electronic mirror that displays the back of the host vehicle. Accordingly, it is possible to provide appropriate driving assistance to the driver when joining or changing lanes.

In the fourth embodiment, the case where the display device 17 is an electronic mirror has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the display device 17 may have a configuration in which a transparent display panel is provided on the surface of a mirror that reflects the back of the host vehicle. In this case, the traveling position object is displayed on the display panel.

<Embodiment 5>
In the fifth embodiment of the present invention, a case will be described in which the object generation unit 4 generates a travel position object according to the degree to which merging or lane change is possible. Since the configuration of the driving support apparatus according to the fifth embodiment is the same as that of the driving support apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

FIG. 34 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the driving support apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

34, the object generation unit 4 generates a travel position object including a lane changeable area 39, a lane change caution area 40, and a lane change impossible area 41. The lane changeable area 39 and the lane change caution area 40 correspond to positions where the host vehicle 38 should currently travel. The lane change impossible area 41 corresponds to a position where the host vehicle 38 should not travel at present. Based on the current position and speed of the host vehicle and the current position and speed of the other vehicle, the overall control unit 14 determines the lane changeable area 39, the lane change caution area 40, and the lane change impossible area 41. calculate. The object generation unit 4 generates an object indicating each area based on the calculation result of the overall control unit 14.

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing an example of a driving support display according to the fifth embodiment. In FIG. 35, the display device 17 is a HUD.

As shown in FIG. 35, the display device 17 displays a lane changeable area 39, a lane change caution area 40, and a lane change impossible area 41 so as to be distinguished from each other so as to be distinguished from each other. Thus, the driver can determine which position can change the lane when changing the lane.

Note that the display control unit 5 may perform control of display or non-display of the travel position object according to a predetermined event. Here, as a predetermined event, for example, when the driver of the own vehicle gives an instruction by a turn signal, when it is detected that another vehicle behind is approaching the own vehicle, or the driver of the own vehicle changes lanes. For example, when you make a gesture to do so.

The display control unit 5 may perform control so that the travel position object is displayed only on the lane marking on the lane change side.

In the above description, the case of changing lanes has been described, but the same applies to the case of merging. Further, the fifth embodiment can be applied to the first to fourth embodiments.

From the above, according to the fifth embodiment, the traveling position object corresponding to the extent to which merging or lane change is possible is displayed. Accordingly, it is possible to provide appropriate driving assistance to the driver when joining or changing lanes.

The driving support device described above is not only a car navigation device, that is, a car navigation device, but also a PND (Portable Navigation Device) that can be mounted on a vehicle and a server provided outside the vehicle as a system. The present invention can also be applied to a constructed navigation device or a device other than the navigation device. In this case, each function or each component of the driving support device is distributed and arranged in each function for constructing the system.

Specifically, as an example, the function of the driving support device can be arranged in the server. For example, as shown in FIG. 36, the user side includes a photographing device 15 and a display device 17. The server 42 includes the host vehicle information acquisition unit 2, the other vehicle information acquisition unit 3, the object generation unit 4, the display control unit 5, the other vehicle position calculation unit 11, the other vehicle speed calculation unit 12, the map information acquisition unit 13, and the whole A control unit 14 is provided. The map information storage device 16 may be provided in the server 42 or provided outside the server 42. With such a configuration, a driving support system can be constructed.

As described above, even if each function of the driving support apparatus is distributed and arranged in each function for constructing the system, the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.

Further, software for executing the operation in the above-described embodiment may be incorporated in a server, for example. The driving support method realized by the server executing this software acquires own vehicle information including the current position and speed of the own vehicle, acquires other vehicle information including the current position and speed of the other vehicle, and When the vehicle joins or changes lanes from the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling to the lane in which the other vehicle is traveling, the host vehicle is currently based on the acquired host vehicle information and the acquired other vehicle information. Generating a travel position object indicating at least one of a position where the vehicle should travel and a position where the vehicle should not travel, and displaying the generated travel position object superimposed on the scenery around the host vehicle according to the progress of the host vehicle It is.

As described above, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained by operating the software that executes the operation of the above-described embodiment in a server.

It should be noted that the present invention can be freely combined with each other within the scope of the invention, and each embodiment can be appropriately modified or omitted.

Although the present invention has been described in detail, the above description is illustrative in all aspects, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It is understood that countless variations that are not illustrated can be envisaged without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1 driving support device, 2 own vehicle information acquisition unit, 3 other vehicle information acquisition unit, 4 object generation unit, 5 display control unit, 6 own vehicle, 7-9 other vehicle, 10 driving support device, 11 other vehicle position calculation unit , 12 Other vehicle speed calculation unit, 13 Map information acquisition unit, 14 Overall control unit, 15 Shooting device, 16 Map information storage device, 17 Display device, 18 Processor, 19 Memory, 20 Travel position object, 21 Other vehicle, 22 Addition Deceleration object, 23 virtual own vehicle, 24 virtual other vehicle, 25 traveling position object, 26 other vehicle, 27, 28 traveling position object, 29-31 other vehicle, 32, 33 route object, 34 own vehicle, 35, 36 other vehicle , 37 Travel position object, 38 Own vehicle, 39 Lane changeable area, 40 cars Modify the attention area, 41 lane change impossible area, 42 server.

Claims (14)

A host vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires host vehicle information including the current position and speed of the host vehicle;
Other vehicle information acquisition unit for acquiring other vehicle information including the current position and speed of the other vehicle;
When the host vehicle merges or changes lanes from the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling to the lane in which the other vehicle is traveling, the host vehicle information acquired by the host vehicle information acquisition unit, and the other vehicle Based on the other vehicle information acquired by the information acquisition unit, an object generation unit that generates a travel position object indicating at least one of a position where the host vehicle should currently travel and a position where current vehicle should not travel;
A display control unit that performs control to display the travel position object generated by the object generation unit so as to be superimposed on a scenery around the host vehicle according to the progress of the host vehicle;
A driving support device comprising: The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit performs control to superimpose and display the travel position object on a lane line that forms a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit performs control to superimpose and display the travel position object on a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the object generation unit generates the travel position object that distinguishes the position where the current travel should be performed and the position where the current travel should not be performed. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the object generation unit generates the travel position object according to a degree to which the merging or the lane change is possible. The display control unit performs control to superimpose and display the traveling position object on a lane line that is positioned in the direction of merging or changing the lane among lane lines that constitute the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling. The driving support apparatus according to claim 5, wherein The driving support apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the display control unit controls display or non-display of the travel position object according to a predetermined event. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the object generation unit generates an acceleration / deceleration object that indicates by characters or symbols that current acceleration or deceleration should be performed. The travel position object indicates a route from the current position of the host vehicle to a point where the host vehicle can change the lane or the lane,
The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object generation unit generates an object indicating a virtual own vehicle that is the virtual own vehicle located at the point. The object generation unit generates an object indicating that the virtual host vehicle is in contact with the virtual other vehicle that is the virtual other vehicle at the point. Driving assistance device. The said driving | running | working position object shows the path | route from the present position of the said own vehicle to each said point when there are several points which can change the said merging or the said lane, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Driving assistance device. The display control unit performs control not to display each object when the lane to be merged or the lane change is congested, and performs control to display each object except when the traffic is congested. The driving support device according to claim 11. The said display control part performs the control which superimposes and displays the said driving | running | working position object on the lane which the said own vehicle is running behind the said own vehicle, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. Driving assistance device. Obtain own vehicle information including the current position and speed of your vehicle,
Get other vehicle information including current position and speed of other vehicles,
When the host vehicle merges or changes lanes from the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling to the lane in which the other vehicle is traveling, the acquired host vehicle information and the acquired other vehicle information Based on the above, a travel position object indicating at least one of a position where the host vehicle should currently travel and a position where the current vehicle should not travel is generated,
A driving support method, wherein control is performed to display the generated travel position object superimposed on a scenery around the host vehicle according to the progress of the host vehicle.

Images